The Wailing

I think Koreans and Japanese have established that horror films are one of the genres they love to mess with (I mean that as a compliment). They could make anything—seriously, any thing you can possibly think of—an object of fear, and turn it into a scary movie. I've seen a few of them, and I've seen some of the most ridiculous stories they've come up with, and most of them are surprisingly good. So, it's no news that this one got me curious.

The Wailing (2016)
A film by Na Hong-jin

Quiet town Gokseong is disturbed by a series of unexplained brutal murders.



The Wailing, like many other films in the genre, relentlessly toyed with the minds of the audience from start to finish. The story, despite repeatedly pointing fingers at the right direction, posed more questions than clarity. It was ambitious, but at times, made it difficult to suspend disbelief. Dark humor was appreciated. But the extreme absurdity of some actions of the hero resulted to an even more questionable, and comical turn. Jong-gu (Kwak Do-won) was a ridiculously lousy police officer, but he gained sympathy when his daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee) got sick for some obscure reason. From then on, his actions were only triggered by anger or vengeance that paved way for too many unnecessary scenes; making the film much longer than it should have been.

After a good solid hour, the viewers might appear as exhausted and as clueless as Jong-gu (given the narrative's slow pace). But with the reiteration of its true identity—a demonic possession kind of horror film—the next few events started to give more concrete developments. Nothing rational, though (since such genres are gateways to out-of-this-world scenarios that viewers are expected to overlook). Still, it successfully kept  the viewers perplexed; without doing damage on its final reveal. Also, the ending appeared as frightening as the introduction promised it to be. Even the jump cuts used in the beginning (to foreshadow the main antagonist) did not make the ending less creepy. Its grip would scare you despite knowing that it's coming.

In 156 minutes, The Wailing definitely took a long time to build up the twist. But the absence of cheap thrills were replaced with enough gore, mystery, and consistent eerie atmosphere. The first hour might be a struggle. But its dark, chilling, and haunting moments were definitely entertaining.

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About Westworld

As simple as a pretty darn good logo could get me hooked on a series. That's what Westworld did to me, to say the least. Got curious, researched about it, and now we're here (spoiler alert).

Westworld (2016-)

Created by Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan

Based on the 1973 film of the same name by Michael Crichton, Westworld is a futuristic amusement park inhabited by robotic "hosts" intended for rich vacationers known as "guests" to live out their desires and fantasies—without the consequences of the real world—through artificial consciousness.

I only read about the film, and haven't really seen it yet. But the interesting plot was enough to arouse my curiosity. And the first episode did not disappoint. It immediately posed so many questions, puzzles, and mysteries that even after only watching the first few minutes of the show, I knew it had me in shackles.

There were several layers of the story happening at the same time. All of which, while obviously making significant progress to the narrative, proved to be enthralling even on its own. The characters were equally fascinating. Brought into life by some of the greatest actors of today, such as Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris. Evan Rachel Wood was stunning as always. To make the plot even more haunting, each of its soundtrack would simply drew you further. And the cinematography would give more life to every scene and sequence.

The season one finale also lived up to its high standard. For me, it was an absolutely satisfying ending. It answered questions about the center of the maze, Dolores and Wyatt, the Man in Black, Maeve's escape plan, Bernard and Arnold's story, and Dr. Ford's true motive.

Though, naturally, they left some puzzles unresolved. Despite the revelation about Maeve, it was still not certain whether her last actions were programmed or not. But her story line was definitely among my favorites. Hoping Felix would also play a more substantial part. Also, I was surprised that Logan was nowhere to be found in present time. He was entitled and arrogant. He was right about the park, and William. Did he just let him get away with it (it appears he did which was quite disappointing)? Generally, we still have no solid idea about the motives of most of the characters, or whether the hosts appearing to have gained consciousness were truly conscious or programmed. But the biggest mystery of all was how will the second season move forward after ending the series the way it did. Did the hosts really slaughter all the guests or there's another twist in this bloody fiasco?

Westworld is set to return in 2018. Make days go by fast.

(photo is not mine; credits to owner)

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